Sydney, Nov. 16, (dpa/GNA) – Nestle Australia on Monday announced the new names of two of its popular Allen’s Lollies sweets after acknowledging the previous names had overtones which were “out of step” with the company’s values.
The chewy raspberry-flavoured “Red Skins” will now be called “Red Ripper,” while the chocolate-flavoured “Chicos” jelly babies will have their name changed to “Cheekies.”
The decision to rebrand the lollies was made in June, with Nestle saying that it “acknowledges the need to ensure that nothing we do marginalises our friends, neighbours and colleagues.”
“We hope Australians will support the evolution of these two much loved lollies – while the names are new, the lollies themselves remain unchanged,” Nestle’s confectionery general manager Chris O’Donnell said in a statement on Monday.
The term “redskins” is derogatory to Native Americans.
In July, the Washington Redskins football team in the United States formally retired its name after succumbing to pressure to ditch the racist slur and rebrand.
“Chico” is a Spanish word meaning small boy or child which can also be considered to have racist undertones. The candy, which is brown, is in the shape of a baby.
The “Red Ripper” and “Cheekies” will appear on shelves in early 2021.
“We will keep pack changes simple to help lolly lovers find their favourites easily,” O’Donnell said.
GNA